Leading despite polymer coated bullets

[noylj]

1) Pull a seated bullet. Odds are you will find that seating or crimping has damaged the coating or swaged the bullet diameter down. No matter if you think the expander/flare die is set correctly, the seated bullet will tell you if this is so. If you are flaring the case mouth and NOT expanding the case ID, you can swage the bullet diameter down and this can cut through the coating and cause severe leading.
2) Slug the barrel and find out what your groove diameter really is and make sure the bullets are slightly larger.
Leading indicates a bullet or die set-up problem. If the coating is bad, call the maker.

[Recon]

Noylj:

Pulled bullets are fine. Neck expander die is all the way down and if I bell them any further they won't enter the crimp die. Absolutely no question that it is not a die setting problem.

Fired bullets prove the coating is failing when fired. Comparing these to others plus the smash test proves the coating was not applied correctly. Maker does not respond to my attempts to contact.

A different brand in a non compensator 1911 shows only minor leading in the last inch of the barrel per using the Outers Foul Out...coated are better than lead but are not 100% completely lead fouling free...chatt'd with a bullet maker last week who finds similar results.

[noylj]

Did you measure the OD of the pulled bullets? They may be getting swaged down.
Can't do much of anything if the coating is no good.
All I know is about all I shoot are lead bullets and I get no leading and about the only coated bullets I have tried are Precision Bullets, and they are grade A excellent.
If you were shooting normal lead bullets, the leading in the last half of the barrel would indicate either the lube had run out or the barrel was opening up and the bullet was no longer sealing the bore. You could try to slug the barrel from the breech end and see if it gets easier to push the bullet through to the muzzle or the bullet just may be worthless.
If you have a bunch and just want to shoot them, get some Lee Liquid Alox and lightly tumble lube them and see if that helps.
If the bullet manufacturer can't get back to me, I wouldn't bother them again for anything.

[jgelnn]

Kart Barrel could be the key to your issue.. Unless someone ran a reamer into the throat to cut it a bit Karts will lead quite a bit.

I use a Mason reamer. it will cut the throat and not lengthen your head space if you use it carefully..

most all Bullseye smiths will always run a reamer into a kart just to set the throat

[Recon]

Thanks jgelnn...

I changed to a different brand and have had much better results...still believe the bullets in question only had one coat on them...

[noylj]

Pull some seated bullets and inspect the bullets and measure the diameter. If you are over-crimping or not flaring the case mouth enough and damaging the coating, you will have exposed lead. If the bullets are swaged down (particularly if they are >16 BHN, like most of today's commercial cast bullets), you will get leading. If you were getting leading before, then your set-up has been wrong in some way all this time or you haven't slugged the barrel(s) to determine exactly what diameter bullet to use. SAAMI calls out 0.452" jacketed and 0.453" lead bullets, but most are quite happy with 0.452" lead--your barrel(s) may need a larger bullet.
Also, I would drop some of those start loads, down to about 850 fps.

[vinconco]

I used the Hi Tec (ACME) .452 / 185 gr SWC in my Para with no leading whatsoever. All I did was brush the barrel out first with a .50 rifle brush, no solvent and ran the bullets. I built the Para and used a regular GI gun show barrel and I have probably 50K rounds through it now. The gun is used primarily for USPSA matches. I love these bullets because of the reduced smoke over regular cast/lubed bullets I've been using.

I spent several years shooting cast bullets in rifles and I can tell you that residual COPPER fouling in the barrel will cause lead to stick to it like a magnet. If you run lead you need to get ALL the copper fouling out first. I recommend JB compound because the chemical cleaners take too long to get it all.

[Chickenthief 1]

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/leading.htm

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_7_Leading.htm

http://lasc.us/TaylorLeadingDefined.htm

[PROGUN]

I am having very good results with the ACME 200 gr swc (coated ) after some other brands of coated bullets were leaving my barrels with a lot of tough fouling, even after trying many different die adjustments. I don`t know why, but almost gave-up on coated bullets, and stayed with the hard cast bullets that I have used for many years, that only had very slight leading, if any. Strange, the coated bullets I had trouble with, others found them to preform as they should. ??

[RickB]

I've been shooting Precision, Bear Creek, and years ago, Masterblasters polymer coated "black" bullets through a Kart barrel for fifteen years. Never any issues with leading, or even the coating being left in the barrel. If I clean only every thousand rounds there might be something in there that a dry brush doesn't clean out, but a few strokes with chore-boy wrapped around a brush and it's clean.